Ban on Single-Use Items at 7 Stadiums Including Jamsil, Gocheok, and Sangam

Seoul City, Seoul Metropolitan Council, and 9 Seoul-based Sports Teams to Promote ‘Agreement for Creating Single-Use Plastic-Free Stadiums’

Expected Effect of Planting Approximately 620,000 Pine Trees by Reducing Waste by 80% (2096 tons → 419 tons)

Single-use plastic elimination will be promoted at seven stadiums operated by Seoul City, including Jamsil and Gocheok Baseball Stadiums and Sangam World Cup Stadium.

On the 16th, Kim Ji-hyang, a member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council’s Steering Committee (People Power Party, Yeongdeungpo 4), announced, “Seoul City, the Seoul Metropolitan Council, and nine sports teams based in Seoul plan to promote an ‘Agreement for Creating Single-Use Plastic-Free Stadiums’ to respond to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Seoul City has been expanding cooperation requests to teams operating sports facilities and related organizations to suppress the use of single-use plastics in sports facilities directly managed and supported by the city, as well as food service businesses within those facilities, following a pilot project using reusable containers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in September last year as part of the ‘Creating a Single-Use Plastic-Free Seoul’ initiative.

The main requests include ▲conversion of single-use items to reusable containers at tenant stores ▲prohibition and guidance against the sale and free distribution of single-use cheering items ▲raising awareness and promoting the use of reusable containers.

Accordingly, Seoul City will actively implement financial and administrative support policies related to reducing single-use plastics, including the introduction of reusable containers. The Seoul Metropolitan Council is negotiating detailed agreement terms with each team to support related ordinances and budgets, and the agreement is scheduled to be signed during the upcoming Resource Circulation Week (September 7?8).

In July, Seoul City converted the Seoul Medical Center funeral hall into a single-use plastic-free funeral hall, achieving an 80% reduction in waste compared to before by fully introducing reusable containers.

According to Councilor Kim, the amount of waste generated in 2022 at seven major sports facilities in Seoul, including Jamsil Baseball Stadium, was 2,096 tons. If reusable containers are fully introduced as in the Seoul Medical Center case, it is expected that about 1,677 tons of waste and 5,735 tons of greenhouse gases can be reduced. This is equivalent to the effect of planting 623,370 pine trees.

Councilor Kim Jihyang

The annual waste generation at Jamsil Baseball Stadium is 1,436 tons, accounting for about 68.5% of the total 2,096 tons of waste generated by all sports facilities in Seoul, making it the facility with the highest waste generation among sports venues.

The nine Seoul-based sports teams include three baseball teams (LG, Doosan, Kiwoom), two soccer teams (FC Seoul, Seoul E-Land FC), two basketball teams (Samsung, SK), and two volleyball teams (Woori Card, GS Caltex).

Councilor Kim Ji-hyang said, “Voluntary participation from everyone is very important to reduce the use of single-use plastics,” and added, “This agreement promotion is meaningful because it allows both sports viewing and environmental protection simultaneously, so I ask for the interest and participation of each team and citizens.”